


Dream Demon

by cxsmictragedy



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Author Projecting onto Richie Tozier, Comforting, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Insecure Richie Tozier, M/M, Nightmares, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, blame the song hold on by chord overstreet for this one-shot, i love reddie so much but i’m so mean to them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24884056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cxsmictragedy/pseuds/cxsmictragedy
Summary: Richie Tozier is extremely insecure, despite the facade he puts up to deflect his feelings. But holding those feelings inside makes the insecurities manifest themselves in different ways.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 3
Kudos: 94





	Dream Demon

Eddie Kaspbrak stood one front of Richie, his eyes blazing in anger and resentment. It was as if his gaze itself was belittling Richie, shutting him down and making him burst with anxiety and insecurities—because that’s exactly what it was doing. His mind was overrun with doubts and worries as Eddie’s narrowed eye scrutinized him and made him shrink into a ball of insecurity. Eddie’s gaze alone was enough to tear through the walls that a raven-haired trashmouth built up around himself to hide from his own misery, his own demons. 

“Wow, Richie, you really are pathetic, aren’t you?” Eddie sneered, walking closer to the seventeen year old with an evil glint in his eye. He was inches away from Richie, his eyes boring intensely into Richie’s. His eyes were glazed over, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. “So pathetic, yet so, so pretty.”

Eddie’s hand roughly pulled Richie’s face closer, his honey eyes almost black. Richie wanted to believe this situation wasn’t real, that this was some sort of twisted dream, but his mind argued that the treatment he was receiving was exactly what he deserved. 

Eddie pulled Richie’s face closer with a strength Richie didn’t know he possessed. “You know we all hate you, right? Richie Tozier, the asshole who can’t shut his mouth, who annoys everyone solely because he breathes.”

“Eds—”

“Don’t get me started on the nicknames,” he jeered, pushing the boy’s face away, taking his body with him. Richie fell to the floor, a tear finally falling from his eye. “You’re so useless, Tozier. No wonder your parents left. They had the right idea, and it’s inevitable that the Losers Club is about to follow their lead.”

“Eddie, please,” Richie whimpered, his tears free-falling now. “Please, stop.”

Eddie towered over his supposed boyfriend. “Did you really think I could fall for you?”

Richie was sobbing in his sleep, an occurrence that was extremely rare ever since Eddie began to sleep next to him. Richie never told him about the nightmares, about what haunted his dreams that caused him to shake uncontrollably. 

Eddie remembered the first time he had found out about Richie’s night terrors. 

The Losers sat in a circle, the fire burning brightly in front of them. Marshmallow bags lay half-empty and discarded around the logs they had lugged over to use as seats. Richie sat next to Eddie, who despite the warmth, was cuddled in a blanket that he had brought for extra warmth. 

“Alright,” Beverly smiled, looking around the group slowly to build the suspense. Richie rolled his eyes mumbling out ‘your mom went faster than this’. Beverly’s eyes landed on him. “Richie, truth or dare?”

You wouldn’t want anyone to pick truth, would ya, Richie? The stupid clown, and his jeers. Richie was glad he was gone, but he was truly terrified that his mind would be forever scarred. Richie licked his lips and chose dare. 

“I dare you to....kiss....Eddie.”

“No way in fucking hell am I okay with that!” Eddie exclaimed, though his mind was in overdrive. He wanted Richie to kiss him, to hold his hand, to be his. “Do you know how many germs transfer through kissing. No, absolutely not!”

Richie was nervous, but in the end, he could blame the game. He could always pretend that the kiss—his first kiss—was a stupid, drunken accident caused by the one and only, Bev Marsh. He pressed his lips against Eddie’s, a quick and simple kiss, until Eddie reciprocated it. When his lips moved with Richie’s, Richie deepened the kiss, he hand reaching to cup the side of Eddie’s face gently. 

They were interrupted by Ben clearing his throat, which made Richie’s face turn red. He stuttered out a goodnight, rushing away before the protests and objections rose. He needed to get away from Eddie. 

The nightmare didn’t begin terrifyingly, if Richie remembered correctly. Though, no matter how much you try to remember, you could never actually recall the beginning of a dream—or a nightmare. It started sinfully, with Richie pressed into Eddie’s side, his lips grazing Eddie’s collarbone. 

It quickly took a turn for the worst, however. 

His insecurities manifested Eddie to be some sort of villain in his head, voicing all of Richie’s vulnerabilities. Richie remembers the horrible scream that tore from his mouth, and the sob that pressed on his chest until he allowed it to escape. 

He woke up crying in Eddie’s arms, who looked frantic to make him feel better. He was nothing like his nightmares showed him. His eyes were soft, caring. The blanket Eddie had brought for himself was now wrapped around the crying boy, and his face was pressed against Eddie’s neck. 

“Rich,” Eddie whispered, as the boy’s breathing began to slow. Eddie looked up, meeting eyes with Stan and Bev who stood at the entrance of the tent, and gestures for them to leave. When they did, Eddie ran his fingers through Richie’s curls. “Richie, baby, I’ve got you, okay? Concentrate on your breathing.”

Richie’s breathing started to fall into an erratic pattern. And when it finally was normal, Eddie pushed away to look into his eyes. 

“Everything will be okay, baby.”

“Richie,” Eddie whispered, as he took Richie’s body against his own, holding him against himself in order to calm the both of them. “Baby, it’s just a dream.”

He woke up screaming, tears streaming down his face relentlessly, heart pounding in his chest. “Get away from me!”

Richie moved away from Eddie, leaned against the wall in attempt to get away from him. Eddie stepped closer tentatively. “Richie, baby, it’s me.”

“No, no, no, please,” Richie’s voice was desperate as he slid down the wall and hugged his knees to his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Just get away from me!”

“What are you sorry for?” Eddie asked quietly, taking another step toward the boy he loved. 

“I’m sorry for being so annoying. I’m sorry for ruining the group, for making you guys hate me. I just can’t stop, I can’t. I’m sorry.” His words were rushed, garbled and desperate. His breathing had gotten worse. “I-I understand, I hay-hate myself more than you guys ever cuh-could.”

Eddie felt his heart stop. This time he didn’t take his steps slowly, he crashed into Richie’s body, suffocating him in a hug. Richie grappled at his arms, pushing to get out of the embrace, but he couldn’t, so he instead slumped in Eddie’s arms and cried. 

“I love you, Richie Tozier,” Eddie said, pulling away slightly. It was the first ‘I love you’ the two had shared romantically, though unconventional, but Eddie wouldn’t change it for the world. 

He vowed to himself that he’d never let Richie feel unloved again. That he would suffocate the boy in admiration and affection until the last breath left his body. Because he didn’t hate Richie, he was helplessly in love with him.


End file.
